The Global War On You Know Who

"The West is facing a concerted effort by Islamic jihadists, the motives and goals of whom are largely ignored by the Western media, to destroy the West and bring it forcibly into the Islamic world -- and to commit violence to that end even while their overall goal remains out of reach. That effort goes under the general rubric of jihad."-- Robert Spencer

Sunday, July 23, 2006

Is it WWIII yet?

UPDATE: You'd expect it in Karachi, Nablus, Berkeley, or some other lawless craphole. But, here are yet more cities we'll have to cross off the "civilized" list: BostonStockholmUn-freakin-believable: anti-war protest in Tel Aviv.

Friday, July 21, 2006

Niiiice.

A German government official said on Thursday that letter written by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to German Chancellor Angela Merkel asks her to help solve the Palestinian problem and deal with Zionism.

“There’s nothing about the nuclear issue (in the letter),” the official told Reuters on condition of anonymity due to the extreme sensitivity of the issue for the German government.

“It’s all related to Germany and how we have to find a solution to the Palestinian problems and Zionism and so on. It’s rather weird,” The official, who has seen the letter, said.

Hoo-ee. Way to step on your crank, dude. Germans are hard to offend, but suggesting they're still secretly Nazis is the #1 guaranteed way to get their panties in a wad. Of course, German officials are choosing to read it as "weird," rather than as a shocking and alarming insult. I find that weird.

In any case, ya gotta love Iranian logic. The Holocaust never happened, but we sure do admire Hitler for pulling it off, and we'd like your help finishing it. Uh-huh.

UPDATE: Ah, much better. Merkel: "He's repeating the old thinking, which is totally unacceptable to us." Interesting way to put it, but she sounds pissed and that's good.

The Mosaic Religious Community has advised its Jewish members against speaking Hebrew loudly on the streets of Oslo or wearing Jewish emblems. The suggestion has infuriated some in the membership.

It comes after a Jewish man wearing a kippah, or yarmulke, was assaulted on an Oslo street Saturday. The Mosaic Religious Community wants its members to be careful.

"We have encouraged our members to avoid speaking Hebrew loudly on the street," Anne Sender of the Jewish organization told newspaper Vårt Land. She also told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) that men may want to reconsider wearing the yarmulke.

The desire to just keep your head down and hope you'll be left alone is understandable. The illusion that it will be a successful strategy is unforgivable. At least Islam has a word for it when victims voluntarily subjugate themselves to the master race: dhimmitude.

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Got Shari'a?

In response to 9/11, the U.S. invaded a sovereign country, overthrew its tyrannical overlords, helped rebuild the infrastructure, and stood by to wax jihadi holdouts. Bravo. But the US also permitted the new government of Afghanistan to ratify a "constitution" that snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. In relevant part:

Article 3 [Law and Religion]In Afghanistan, no law can be contrary to the beliefs and provisions of the sacred religion of Islam.

Article 149 [Islam, Fundamental Rights](1) The provisions of adherence to the fundamentals of the sacred religion of Islam and the regime of the Islamic Republic cannot be amended.

The Afghan government announced plans Tuesday to re-establish a Vice and Virtues Ministry, but it assured the public the office would not resemble the Taliban version that became a symbol of the brutal regime toppled by U.S. forces in 2001.

Afghanistan's powerful religious and tribal leaders have been pressing U.S.-backed President Hamid Karzai to reinstate the ministry, which many considered the most powerful in the ousted Taliban government. It employed 32,000 people to enforce the Islamic zealots' bans on girls' schools, on television, on card-playing and other gambling, even on kite-flying and women's public baths.

Karim Rahimi, Karzai's spokesman, said Afghans should not be worried. "The people were scared of the Vice and Virtues Ministry under the Taliban, but this new ministry won't be like the Taliban's," Rahimi said. "It will take into consideration moral and religious activities to help improve Afghan society."

I'm so relieved. Thank goodness we didn't spend all that blood and treasure for nothing.

Friday, July 14, 2006

Critical Mass

Fissile materials have a characteristic critical mass at which a chain reaction becomes self-sustaining. Similarly, it appears that non-Muslim societies with growing Muslim populations reach a "critical mass" at which the slide into Islamic law -- and the attendant brutality, poverty, and conflict -- becomes inevitable.

Islam is an aggresively proselytizing faith, placing a premium on gaining believers and eliminating non-believers, either by conversion, coercion, or war. People are free to convert to Islam but conversion from Islam is punishable by death. So what's the appeal? Islam's ferocious certainty can provide self-confidence to the insecure, a sense of identity to the isolated, or meaning to the spiritually adrift. The five pillars of Islam emphasize not the supremacy of God, but of Islam and Muslims. And the unofficial sixth pillar, jihad, mandates war against infidels until they convert, submit, or die.

The result is that societies rapidly succumb to aggressive Muslim minorities, initially becoming "Islamic" despite a non-Muslim majority. Once Islamic law is in effect, non-Muslims can be persecuted, bankrupted, coerced, blackmailed, killed, and otherwise driven out. Countries can be classified into 3 general categories, tending to move from one to the next as Muslims assert increasing dominance:

1. Secular; zero or neglible numbers of Muslims 2. Transitional; a substantial minority of Muslims, and a high level of conflict. 3. Islamic; approaching 100% Muslim.

These are roughly equivalent to the three categories recognized in Islamic law: Dar al-Sulh (land of truce); Dar al-Harb (land of war); and Dar al-Islam (land of peace).

So I got to doing a little number-crunching (source: CIA World Fact Book). Of the 57 nations of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, 8 have a small proportion of Muslims : Benin (20%), Cameroon (20%), Gabon (less than 1%), Guyana (10%), Mozambique (18%), Suriname (20%), Togo (20%), and Uganda (16%). How, exactly, these states came to belong to an expressly Muslim trade and security bloc -- Gabon, in particular -- would be an interesting question to research.

Of the remaining 49 member states, 29 are almost completely homogenous, with Muslims comprising 90% or more of the population. In another 8 OIC countries, Muslims make up over 80% of the population.

The remaining 12 members of the OIC have Muslim populations between 20-70%; many are familiar as sites of perpetual violence. In at least some of these countries, authorities are actively working toward 80-90% Muslim majorities, which is often the cause and purpose of the violence. Sudan is an excellent example. The only theological debate over genocide in the name of Allah is whether it is permitted or required.

Other countries with small Muslim populations are also familiar as jihad epicenters: The Philippines (5%), Thailand (4.6%), India (13.4%), The Netherlands (5.5%), UK (2.7%), France (5-10%), and Russia (10-15%).

This is not to say that Islam is the only source of violence in the world. But there is certainly a strong correlation; and it's not inaccurate to say that Islam is the primary or most widespread source at this point in history. Whether a non-Muslim country becomes Islamic or not likely also depends on the strength and skill of the resistance. But it seems that generally, a fairly consistent figure -- a Muslim population somewhere above 10% but below 50% -- is the tipping point on the road to shari'a. The good news is, a considerably higher proportion seems necessary before flat-out genocide begins.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Descent into Tyranny

Once upon a time, bad manners were discouraged by something called "morality," and enforcement mechanisms included such things as shame, guilt, remorse, and embarassment.

Now, bad manners have become known as "human rights violations" and "civil rights violations." They are discouraged by screaming mobs called NGOs, civil rights groups, and the press, all institutions with the power to influence law but largely above it themselves. The old enforcement mechanisms have been drummed out of public life as antiquated relics of an uncivilized era, so new ones have taken their place. They now include self-censorship, fear of vexatious lawsuits, and to an increasing degree, fear of threats, harassment, and in some cases, fines and prison.

Community leaders in Lewiston-Auburn will hold a rally Wednesday in support of Somali Muslims who were stunned when someone rolled a pig's head into their mosque at prayertime last week.

Police say Brent Matthews, 33, of Lewiston tossed a pig's head into the mosque shortly after 10 p.m. last Monday. Matthews, who is free on bail, has pleaded not guilty to desecrating a place of worship, a misdemeanor. The FBI and the state Attorney General's Office are investigating whether Matthews' alleged actions constitute a civil-rights violation.

That is very interesting, considering a civil rights violation can occur only when the wrong is committed under color of law, i.e., by a government official.

Private individuals can offend, insult, and commit crimes against each other, but they lack legal capacity to violate each others' civil rights. By definition, a government agent must rob the individual of some right guaranteed to them by law.

"According to several very well informed sources from the world of football, it would seem that the Italian player Marco Materazzi called Zinedine Zidane a 'dirty terrorist'," SOS Racism said in a statement.

Zidane, the son of Algerian immigrants, was shown a red card after the incident and Italy went on to win on penalties after the match was tied 1-1 following extra time.

"It's for this reason that SOS Racism asks in a determined fashion for FIFA to shed light on this altercation and that sanctions laid out in the official rules be applied should this be the case," SOS Racism said.

Natural human tendencies toward rudeness were once curbed by a moral code, shared by families, friends, and communities; nasty behavior was not a legal issue, but a moral one. Matthews was rude. Materazzi was rude. In the old days, they would have been shamed, given a chance to apologize, and forgiven. Now, there is no redemption, and they will pay.

Morality has been replaced by a bottomless pit of laws, regulations, committees, investigations, and proceedings, wrapping individuals in a cocoon of paralyzing red tape. To avoid getting caught in the web, individuals increasingly self-censor, consciously checking who they talk to, what they say, and where they say it. Behaving morally is far less confining -- and by reducing the need for the exercise of state power, morality functions an essential guarantor of individual freedom. Without it, the seeds of tyranny sprout.

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Book Murdered in Tennessee

Illegal immigration, treason, and sedition have been elevated from crimes to constitutional rights. Meanwhile, it has become a crime to murder . . . a book. But only one particular book. Take a wild guess.

FBI looking at Web site showing shooting of Quran

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. The FBI will look into an online video that shows two men shooting a Quran with a military rifle

A military rifle, not just a regular old varmintin' rifle, that makes it extra evil.

and then leaving the bullet-riddled holy book at a Chattanooga mosque.

FBI agent Tim Burke said the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations asked the Justice Department to investigate the incident. He said no one from the Chattanooga Muslim community had complained.

The video titled "kill the koran" was posted on MySpace-dot-com last month. It could still be seen on the Web site today.

I looked everywhere, but no dice. Let me know if you find it.

A man on the Web site identifies himself as "mully88" and claims to live in Chattanooga. The author's profile lists as heroes (quote) "anybody that has killed a muslim or at least tried to kill a muslim." The site also contains slurs against Hispanics and blacks.

Last time I checked, it's not against the law to be a bigoted rube. But I'm curious. "88" is neo-Nazi code for "Heil Hitler," who received ample support from the ummah. So he's an ignorant, bigoted rube.

The video shows the man purchasing a Quran at a bookstore, going to a wooded area and shooting the book, then throwing it on the ground outside the door of the Chattanooga Islamic center.

Thursday, July 06, 2006

Deconstructing Eurabia

Like all socialist dhimmis who catch a whiff of something unorthodox, last week's issue of The Economist launched a five-page spread to discredit an idea they do not grasp. The cover story, "Eurabia: The Myth and Reality of Islam in Europe," is discussed in three separate articles: one snotty editorial, one incoherent "investigative report," and a set of book reviews.

The most striking aspect of these articles is that the scholar who coined the term "Eurabia," Bat Ye'or, and the book she published last year, Eurabia: The Euro-Arab Axis, are mentioned nowhere. The Economist must be unaware of her as well as the book, because none of their disdainful counterpoints remotely address, let alone refute, Ye'or's research.

It must be stressed that the book is not an opinion piece, but a meticulous work of historical scholarship that relies entirely on primary source documents from official EU archives. They're not secret -- most are available on the web -- they're just written in impenetrable diplomatese.

They reveal that the EU's unelected power brokers have been auctioning off Europe to the Islamic world -- as well as selling Israel down the river -- for three decades. In exchange, Europe gets oil security and cheap imported labor to keep its crumbling welfare systems afloat. Reasonable people may reach different conclusions about what this means for Europe's future, but the fact of these back-room deals is indisputable. And The Economist makes no reference to them.

Furthermore, The Economist dismisses "the Eurabian myth" as an American invention, mentioning George W. Bush three times in the first paragraph. But to plumb the origins of the term "Eurabia," Bat Ye'or is the definitive source. She did write the book -- and she's European: an Egyptian exiled to the UK, and now a Swiss citizen. She's not even Anglo: Eurabia is her first book written in English, rather than French. But no, The Economist blames the Great Unwashed on the other side of the pond.

For another thing, the term "Eurabia" originated with European and Arab diplomats themselves. They see Euro-Arab cooperation as a good thing: harmonization, integration, mutual assistance, technology transfers, multiculturalism, etc. Ye'or merely pointed out that, 30 years on, it's not all fluffy bunnies and rainbows. The idea of Eurabia is catching on in the U.S., but it is largely thanks to Ye'or's book -- and the daily news out of Europe that reinforces her concerns.

I won't quibble here with the rest of The Economist's off-target pablum. A thorough fisking would take hours, and in any case, you can't win an argument with an ignorant man. Suffice it to say that these chumps are setting themselves up for a huge surprise.

Oh yes, did I mention? Bat Ye'or is Jewish, and writes under a pseudonym so as to avoid being killed. I'm sure that has nothing to do with why her groundbreaking book was ignored.